DACF Home → Bureaus & Programs → Bureau of Resource Information and Land Use Planning Municipal → Municipal Planning Assistance Program
The Maine Planning Basics Webinar Series
Presentations intended for those new to planning in Maine. This presentations respond to a significant increase in new planners in the State. Sessions are scheduled for the first Friday of each month from 12pm - 1:30pm. Find all presentations on our Webinars webpage.
Featured presentation - Best Practices for Comprehensive Planning, 8/2/2024: Comprehensive Planning Best Practices. Hosted by Hancock County Planning Commission and presented by Jay Kamm, Senior Planner with the Northern Maine Development Commission, and Ashley Gamache, Planner II with the Municipal Planning Assistance Program. Presentation available as PowerPoint and PDF.
Natural Hazards and Land Use Planning 101 Webinar Series
Webinars and workshops on minimizing natural hazards and boosting community resilience are scheduled from August 2024 to early 2025. These sessions are designed for municipal staff and volunteers and cover planning, vulnerability assessments, infrastructure, and ordinances. Find all presentations on the Webinars webpage.
Featured presentation Assessing Risk from Natural Hazards, 9/17/2024. In the second session in our Hazard Planning Series, we presented ways to start assessing hazard exposure (such as wildfire, erosion, and flooding) in your community. We discussed how risk levels or adverse effects from hazard exposure change based on several different criteria, including social vulnerability. Attendees left knowing how they could identify, or use a suite of online tools to identify, where there may be greater risk to natural hazards in their community. This session provided a foundation for determining, and justifying (e.g., when applying for a grant), areas that may require more in-depth analysis. Presentation available as a PDF.
Growth Management Program Evaluation - 2023
The quadrennial Growth Management Program Evaluation was presented to the Legislature's Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources in 2024. The Growth Management Law (MRS 30-A Sec. 4331) requires an evaluation of the state, regional and local efforts to achieve the purposes and goals of the law. This report provides that evaluation by looking at three criteria: the location of growth, the level of local and regional planning, and the state’s financial commitment to growth management. Growth Management Program Evaluation - 2023.
Other Items of Interest...
EPA Stormwater Calculator
Demonstration for Planning Boards
Using funds provided in a grant from the Maine Coastal Program, the Lincoln County Regional Planning Commission has created a demonstration of EPA's online Stormwater Calculator. The step-by-step demonstration is designed to show local Planning Board members the effect Low-Impact Development (LID) stormwater management techniques can have when used in a hypothetical development scenario.
Why your town should have a Comprehensive Plan
Learn about some key benefits your community can enjoy by adopting a comprehensive plan that is consistent with Maine's Growth Management Act, including:
- clear vision for future growth
- ultimate legal support for land use ordinances
- enhanced state grant opportunities
View the Comprehensive Plan Brochure (PDF)
Older "Findings of Consistency" expired at the end of 2012
A state Finding of Consistency for a local comprehensive plan is valid for twelve years. A temporary exemption for older Findings ran out on December 31, 2012. What does the expiration of a Finding of Consistency mean for your community?
View Frequently Asked Questions (PDF)
To Encourage the Preservation of Dark Skies: A Report to the Business, Research & Economic Development Committee
Viewing stars with the naked eye requires "dark skies" - night skies that are largely free of light pollution emitted by misdirected outdoor lights. Maine is one of the few places in the eastern United States that still has dark skies. This report, prepared in response to a legislative resolve calling for the preservation of this natural resource, reviews outdoor lighting standards for commercial development and offers options and recommendations for their promotion.